WalterWhite-related stories
Posted Jun 25th 2009 11:03AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, TV Squad Lists, Breaking Bad, Reality-Free
Now that
the second season of Breaking Bad is in the books, it's time to evaluate high school science teacher
Walter White's performance. He's been giving out the grades to students for years, but who's been monitoring this high school teacher?
It's time for this
Breaking Bad character to be graded. Here's a report card for Mr. White, and whether he's using the name Heisenberg or White, we're turning the tables on "teach" and giving him some grades across the board.
Continue reading Breaking Bad: Walter White's Report Card
Posted May 28th 2009 5:03PM by Danny Gallagher
Filed under: Web, Breaking Bad, Reality-Free
Something from AMC's brilliant
Breaking Bad has found its way into the real world. And no, I don't mean 34 pounds of pure crystal meth so fine it could make your toes curl into sheepshanks.
During last Sunday's episode, Walter's son created a very touching web page for his ailing father that solicits donations for his cancer treatments. Walt was very touched by the gesture, but objected to taking charity from strangers. Of course, that changed when Walter's legal partner in crime Saul saw it as a way to launder his drug money to his family without them getting wise to his deeds.
That website actually exists on the web at
SaveWalterWhite.com.
Continue reading SaveWalterWhite.com joins the real world wide web
Posted May 25th 2009 3:29AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Episode Reviews, Breaking Bad, Reality-Free
(S02E12) Walter White, be careful what you wish for. That's the thought that occurred to me watching this penultimate episode of season two. Is it possible that Walt might actually make it through this bizarre journey to the dark side and actually come out the other side in one piece? For a time, it sure seemed possible.
For starters, there's Holly. Sky finally has the baby and she's perfect. The scenes of domestic bliss at the White's contrasted with the wreckage at Jesse's bungalow. Vince Gilligan may make Walter's perfection of crystal meth seem like a noble achievement -- the best ever cooked in New Mexico -- but seeing how Jane and Jesse's lives have deteriorated in just a few weeks of shooting heroin seemed like the ultimate anti-drug message. They were as gross as the meth couple with the ATM machine that Jesse found so disgusting.
Continue reading Breaking Bad: Phoenix
Posted May 20th 2009 2:06PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Watercooler Talk, Breaking Bad, Reality-Free
A few weeks ago, I got to speak with
Bryan Cranston about Breaking Bad winning a Peabody Award. In the course of that conversation, Bryan told me that writer/creator Vince Gilligan had considered killing the character of Jesse Pinkman at the end of last season. This was a bit of shock to me, but according to Bryan, what saved Jesse was Aaron Paul's performance. "He has this puppy dog quality even when he's doing the most despicable things," Bryan told me.
Well, as I watched
Breaking Bad the other night, it occurred to me that Jesse's days might be numbered. In fact,
Jason alluded to the possibility in his review; those two dead bodies lying under blankets that have been beside the White pool in the season-long foreshadowed crime scene could be Jane and Jesse.
Continue reading Will Walter kill Jesse on Breaking Bad?
Posted May 18th 2009 11:01AM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Episode Reviews, Breaking Bad, Reality-Free
(S02E11) After last week's episode, I thought we might have a moment where Walt came back to Jesse and said that it was back on. He'd got the passion for cooking in his soul and he couldn't shake it out. It's really starting to make me worry more about those foreshadowing opening sequences we've seen with body bags and destruction. Explosion at the White house? Is his family going to be collateral damage?
We didn't get any further on the foreshadowing sequence in the opening segment, instead we got something equally devastating in the here and now. If you're going to get into drug distribution, you have to learn to expect collateral damage. When that damage came it was perfect that Walter didn't even recognize him by name.
Continue reading Breaking Bad: Mandala
Posted May 11th 2009 10:27AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Episode Reviews, Breaking Bad, Reality-Free
(S02E10) As I watched this episode, I was pondering, can you put the toothpaste back in the tube? What about taking a bite from the apple from the tree of knowledge, if you want to get Old Testament about it? Walter White has issues with what he's done, how he's rationalized his doing them and now, seemingly, wants a fresh start. But as another saying goes, be careful what you wish for.
For viewers who haven't yet watched the episode, from here on I'm talking spoilers, so be forewarned.
Continue reading Breaking Bad: Over
Posted Apr 27th 2009 9:42AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S02E08) I'm starting to wonder if Walter and Jesse have turned into the Abbott and Costello of Albuquerque or the New Mexican Laurel and Hardy or maybe some other bumbling duo that have been attempting to do something so far beyond their ken that the fact that they made it this far is a bloody miracle. This show illustrated yet again how the unexpected situations continue to pile up around Team Heisenberg and by the skin of their teeth; they come out the other side.
Breaking Bad's creator Vince Gilligan should be winning more awards. He's just nabbed a Peabody, but there are Emmys in his future.
Breaking Bad is that good. This level of writing, the complicated storytelling is amazing.
Continue reading Breaking Bad: Better Call Saul
Posted Apr 20th 2009 4:15AM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Episode Reviews, Breaking Bad, Reality-Free
(S02E07) The episode opened with a video by Mexican cousins
Los Cuates de Sinaloa; the song is our episode title. It looks like the boys were hired to pen a tune that explains exactly what is going on in the drug community now that White and Pinkman are peddling their blue meth. The video is produced like something you'd see on Latin MTV (sort of) in Spanish with English subtitles. It also goes on to tell us that White, as "Heisenberg," has gained notoriety of the not-so-great sort in the drug cartel world further south. It was a unique if strange way to open the episode, as well as provide exposition on White's growing infamy.
As for Walt, one of the benefits of his newfound career in drugs is that he's a much more aggressive taskmaster in the classroom. No more timid Mr. White; Walt's apparently becoming a badass in all walks of his life. Or at least much bolder than he was. Meanwhile. Jesse is finding out that it's a lot tougher to be the badass everyone thinks he is when he doesn't have the self-confidence to be as hardcore as his image.
Continue reading Breaking Bad: Negro y Azul
Posted Apr 13th 2009 12:48PM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Episode Reviews, Breaking Bad, Reality-Free
(S02E06) Even though this episode was slow on external conflict as compared to other episodes, it was still an amazing and important episode. For twelve episodes now we'd been seeing our heroes immerse themselves in this world of meth with little to show the consequences of this. It was two very different storylines focusing each on Walt and Jesse, but in both we got to see how meth destroys lives and changes people.
It was powerful stuff and easily one of the best episodes of the season. Featuring the return of the junkie couple that robbed one of Jesse's men last week, theirs was the most direct and the most tragic fallout from a life of drugs, and meth in particular. I live in what was at one time at least the meth capital of the country. This county used to lead the nation in meth production and even now we can see the ravages of the drug on the faces of too many people in this community. It's all consuming and its destruction on your life and family is total. You can't find a better outreach against the usage of drugs than what Jesse experienced in that house.
Continue reading Breaking Bad: Peekaboo
Posted Apr 6th 2009 3:37PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Episode Reviews, Breaking Bad, Reality-Free
(S02E05) You know that things are really bad when even a stalwart rock like Hank starts to break down. All around
Breaking Bad, the characters have been crushed under the weight of problems that seem to be unsolvable. I mean when this episode was over, the most together person was Jesse. Imagine that. Apparently last week's trauma in the Port-a-John left an lasting and therapeutic impression.
The image of Walt laying awake in bed was haunting. It was also universal, because I would bet there are a lot of people unable to sleep with the economic woes they're facing.
Continue reading Breaking Bad: Breakage
Posted Mar 30th 2009 9:03AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Episode Reviews, Breaking Bad, Reality-Free
(S02E04) The one-eyed stuffed animal was still floating in the pool, but not for long. It was fished out and lined up with a whole bunch of other evidence bags. What this all adds up to will likely be something dreadful. Right now, the tension builds and you just wonder what it all means.
Breaking Bad is like a pressure cooker, and the reference to cooking is probably appropriate. Walter and Jesse are stuck in a pressure cooker of their own design and things are getting more and more intense. Something is ready to blow, but the when and the where and the how keep us coming back for more.
Continue reading Breaking Bad: Down
Posted Mar 23rd 2009 12:33PM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S02E03) "Waffle House is good." --Jesse PinkmanI just love it when a plan comes together. It's a damned shame that old Walter White is dying because he's pretty good at this whole criminal behavior thing. Sure it helps that he's brilliant, but after the shootout last week, I was wondering how he and Jesse were going to get back into town and what they were going to do about their respective situations. Namely that Walter had been missing for a few days and that Jesse's car was at Tuco's place.
I guess I needn't have worried. But just as I was a little saddened to see the Tuco storyline wrapped up so quickly; if only because Raymond Cruz was just amazing to watch in the role; I was a little surprised that things got wrapped up in a nice, neat little package by the end of the hour. No bow though, as there are some residual issues outstanding, Skyler's mistrust in particular. I guess I get worried that things are moving too quickly, but I really need to just sit back and trust the writers. After ten episodes, I'm more engrossed in this story than almost any other on television right now.
Continue reading Breaking Bad: Bit by a Dead Bee
Posted Mar 16th 2009 10:27AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S02E02) Nothing brings a family together faster than a crisis. With Walter missing without a trace, Hank gets the DEA team working on tracking down Tuco so he can help Skyler and Walt, Jr. find Walter. It seemed unlikely that Hank would have any luck tracking him down in Tuco's desert crib.
Tuco remained an unpredictable force and from the moment he let Walt and Jesse out of the trunk, it was anybody's guess what he was going to do to them. The revelation that he didn't know about Gonzo's death and believed his second in command was working with the cops just added to the paranoia. Feeding his fear only made Tuco more unpredictable.
Continue reading Breaking Bad: Grilled
Posted Mar 9th 2009 12:26PM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Episode Reviews
(S02E01) Three hundred and sixty-four days after the first season finale, the second season of
Breaking Bad finally began last night (Damn you, writers strike!). While we only got seven episodes last year, the show still made a huge impact on the television landscape, primarily by being just amazingly produced and acted. The action and tone pick up here as if we've never been away, and despite a year since new episodes, it feels like only last week that we first saw Tuco go ballistic and viciously beat his own man.
Of course, if it had been last week then I doubt we'd have rewound the scene and replayed it in its entirety. Still, it was a nice reminder of just how crazy and unpredictable Tuco is. And it was the problem of Tuco that pretty much drove the entirety of the main plot tonight. It says something as to how perfectly disturbed Raymond Cruz portrays Tuco that despite being in the episode only during two sequences, his presence hovered over every moment.
Continue reading Breaking Bad: Seven Thirty-Seven (season premiere)
Posted Feb 26th 2009 6:08PM by Nick Zaino
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Video, Reality-Free
Bryan Cranston and Dean Norris have been on a collision course since the beginning of AMC's Breaking Bad. For the uninitiated, Cranston plays Walter White, a high school chemistry teacher with terminal lung cancer who turns to cooking meth to leave his family financially secure. Norris plays his brother-in-law Hank, who happens to be a DEA agent. Which made family get-togethers in Season One pretty interesting.
Season One pushed White's story to the brink of believability -- he took on drug dealers using chemistry in one of the most amazing scenes on television last year, and never quite found his way out of the meth trade, even as it became harder to hide from his family, including Hank. I'm curious to see how the story continues, whether they continue to push White further and further out, or if he gets a break somewhere.
This fake interview on Dailymotion, supposedly taped for the show's electronic press kit, isn't quite the ultimate confrontation between White and Hank fans may have in mind. For that, you'll have to tune in to Season Two, which premiers March 8 at 10PM. But it is an amusing bit of improv between the two actors.
Continue reading Cranston and Norris mix it up on Breaking Bad set - VIDEO
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